Don't Let Go
by Yazu Katara and Toph Attack
Summary: AU oneshot. Jimmy rescues Marco. Takes place during Pride. Light to medium JimmyxMarco SLASH. [Yazu Katara]


**Disclaimer: Degrassi is not mine. If it was, let's just say that you would know.**

**My first Degrassi fic. Wow. Ah well. I'm writing this because there is a serious lack of stories with this pairing, and there should be more.**

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**DON'T LET GO**

Something was definitely wrong when Jimmy came to the park and saw Marco sitting on the hood of a police car, bloody, bashed, and trying hard not to cry. Sirens were screaming around them, and a female officer was fixing Marco up. Jimmy ran even faster when he saw what a state his friend was in. "Marco!" he called.

The smaller boy looked up when he heard his name called. Somewhere in his shattered mind, he remembered where he was going before the attack. Why had he taken that way? Did he feel safer among people who were similar to him? Obviously he wasn't. God, he had been stupid to take that route to the arena.

Jimmy got to the car. His eyes traced Marco's slim frame, concerned.

"Your friend's going to be just fine. We'll get the creeps that did this to him," said the female police officer, and she walked away, leaving Marco and Jimmy alone. There was a stunned moment of silence, and then…

Marco practically leapt into Jimmy's arms. He was openly sobbing now, trembling violently, his tears soaking the shoulder of Jimmy's shirt.

Jimmy was stunned at first. In his experience, guys never leapt into the arms of other guys, crying especially. But this was different. He suddenly felt that he couldn't let go. He didn't want to let go. He wrapped his arms around Marco, tightly, rubbing circles on his back, the way a mother does when her child is crying.

"It's okay. It's okay," he whispered. "It's all right. You're gonna be just fine. It's all right. I'm here and I'm not going anywhere, okay? You're all right. You're gonna be okay."

"Jimmy, please don't leave," Marco sobbed, burying his head into Jimmy's shoulder. "Please."

"No, no," Jimmy murmured, "I'm not going anywhere. Everything's gonna be fine, all right?" Getting no reply from Marco, he whispered, "I promise."

"Thank you," Marco replied softly, his tears starting to slow. "Thank you, Jimmy."

"What happened, Marco?" Jimmy asked over Marco's slim shoulder, the skin exposed by his torn shirt.

Marco's eyes flitted to the edge of the park. He sighed. "I was coming to the arena. I don't know why I went through the gay part of town. I just did. I saw all those guys together. I guess I felt safe there."

"And then?" Jimmy could tell there was more to the story.

"There were some guys. They came at me, and took my hat. They were calling me awful things."

"What things?"

"Faggot. Gayboy. You get the gist of it. Then you called. I was afraid to answer, but they made me. I dropped my phone and it broke. Then they started…" Marco buried his head in Jimmy's shoulder again as the tears returned.

"What did they do?"

Marco shuddered, and choked out, "They started beating me. Everywhere. My entire body. It was awful."

Instinctively, Jimmy tightened his grip around Marco. "Did they take anything?" he growled.

"My hat, my shoes, and my socks." Jimmy looked down, and Marco's feet were bare, looking just as bruised and bashed as the rest of him. He touched the tanned skin on his feet- like coffee and milk- softly, trying to soothe Marco back into a peaceful state. The other boy looked down. His eyes met Jimmy's, and Jimmy took his hand off Marco's foot.

"Sorry," Jimmy muttered, turning away.

"I didn't want you to stop," Marco replied, blushing. Jimmy smiled slightly, and put his hand back on Marco's foot, and resumed stroking it. "Don't stop, Jimmy," he said in a lusty moan.

After a few minutes, Marco's tears had stopped. The only evidence that he had cried were the tear lines running down his cheeks, which were barely visible. He hated it. It made him look weak, defenseless, broken.

"Marco," Jimmy said, his stroking getting slower.

"Yeah?" Marco's eyes opened fully. Jimmy's stroking of his feet had relaxed him so much that he was nearly ready to fall asleep.

"I'm thinking we should get out of here."

"Can I crash at your place? I don't want to talk about it with my parents. They worry too much about me as it is."

"Sure. Can you walk?"

"Dunno." Marco gingerly put a foot on the ground, and hissed in pain. "Guess not."

"Okay then." Jimmy stood up. "Guess we'll have to improvise." He bent and lifted Marco into his arms gently, carrying him back to the arena where his car was. "Just relax, okay?"

Marco nodded, and rested his head against Jimmy's shoulder once again. Closing his eyes, he sighed, knowing he was in safe hands right now.

Hands that wouldn't let him go. No matter what.

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**Well, what do you think? This is my first foray into Degrassi fiction, so constructive criticism is welcome. This will be updated soon. I hope. REVIEW, and we'll see.**


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